When the flames go dark
by ItsDelayGTX
Summary: When the gods do not keep their promise and Calypso dies in Leo's arms for leaving the island, Leo comes back to CHB a changed person. He doesn't crack jokes anymore, he ignores his friends and isolates himself from everyone. But most importantly, he wants to take revenge on the gods, and no one is going to get in his way.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue **

_(1133)_

Leo took a deep breath. He pressed the red "start" button and took a step back.

"Uh okay, so HI! Apparently, your man Leo, Super McShizzle, Bad Boy Supreme, Commander of the Toolbelt, Chef Leo the Tofu Taco Expert and a whole bunch of other aliases (yeah I know I'm a man of many names) is NOT dead! I'm back!"

"Uh, whether or not you're happy about that." He added as an afterthought, still grinning.

"Took the physician's cure as soon as I died (Festus helped a lot, thanks buddy), yeah so well, I'm alive and kicking. Yeah, just so you know, dying kinda sucked and to reassure you guys, I'm not gonna do it again, well hopefully. Boy, I can't wait for all of y'all's hugs and kisses when I get back, but right now I'm gonna travel around a bit with my girl Calypso here, so won't be back anytime soon."

Leo turned to Calypso and whispered discreetly (well, at least he attempted to).

"Say hi, Sunshine! Don't be rude!"

Calypso ignored him, rolling her eyes.

Sighing, he turned back to the camera-scroll.

"Okay, so right now I'm rescuing Cal here from Ogygia and-"

"I DO NOT NEED YOUR RESCUING LEO VALDEZ! And how many times must I tell you, you are NOT rescuing me! You are just taking me on a permanent vacation, you got it?"

"Okay, so Cal is letting me take her from her island 'cause she can't resist my charm and-"

"LEONIDAS VALDEZ!"

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! Stop yelling for gods' sake!"

He looked back at the scroll.

"Okay, so... BYE!"

Hastily, he ended the recording.

The Son of Hephaestus folded the scroll into a paper aeroplane ('cause why not) and tossed it into the air. A breeze carried it away.

After all, Calypso _could_ control some air spirits and air spirits sent stuff by paper aeroplane all the time. Coach Hedge had said that other air spirits would keep the letter going across the ocean until it finds Camp Half-Blood, or in particular, his wife, Mellie the cloud nymph. Leo knew that it wasn't as fast as an Iris message (sadly the rainbow goddess didn't accept nuts and bolts as an offering) and although whether the message got across depended on if the spirits decided to be helpful enough, making it a risk, he knew it was his best bet of getting the scroll (aeroplane? aeroscroll?) to his friends.

He didn't want to worry them. Gods, if Jason or Piper or anyone else in the crew had been in his place, he would probably be so worried for them that he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. At least the letter could (hopefully) give his friends some reassurance.

He turned to Cal.

"Come on, sunshine. Let's get you off this island."

With Calypso's arms around him, Leo spurred Festus into flight. The bronze dragon spread his wings, and they soared off into the sky, leaving the island behind them.

A bolt of lightning struck the air before them, and Zeus's voice boomed from above.

"_The curse has not been lifted. You will be punished for attempting to leave this island."_

The words were followed with a clap of thunder, then the arms around Leo's waist went limp. Calypso's body slumped forward against Leo's, cold and no longer moving. Leo shook her gently.

"Sunshine?"

Silence. He started to shake her vigorously.

"Hey babe, stop playing tricks on me 'cause this isn't funny! Jokes are my department..."

Leo was on the verge of tears, and his arms moved frantically.

"No, it can't be… They said that they'll lift the curse! And my oath… Don't die on me! Cal, WAKE UP!"

His floodgates opened and a torrent of tears streamed down his cheeks. Her body remained motionless, as still and as cold as ice.

"No… wake up... please…"

Still in a daze, Leo told the dragon to land as they neared a clump of trees.

Leo dismounted and carried Calypso to a patch of land. Pulling a shovel out of his toolbelt, he started to dig.

~.~

"_What are you doing? You blew up my dining table!"_

"_You keep burning through the clothes I give you, so I thought I would weave something less flammable."_

"_I—I thought I would be released. I dared to hope… but I am still here."_

Tears mixed with the perspiration that stung his eyes as he worked. The memories invaded his thoughts and it hurt. His hands were sore and his fingernails were caked with dirt.

"_You didn't think I could start Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair without Calypso, did you?"_

He carried Calypso, bridal style, over to the shallow grave.

Even in death she was beautiful. He brushed a strand of caramel hair from her face, out of her almond eyes.

"_I'm coming back for you, Calypso. I swear it on the River Styx."_

His sunshine. Gone.

He was about to lay her down when a familiar, sinister laughter filled the air. The earth.

Leo jumped to his feet, eyes blazing and body heating up more than ever. A small clump of dirt took shape to form the face of the goddess of the earth. Leo stepped backwards.

"Gaia? No... impossible… I died killing you! I destroyed your physical form!"

Princess Potty Sludge growled, voice dripping venom.

"Yes you did, you wretched child. Because of you, this is my last moment, my last breath with a physical form."

_An oath to keep with a final breath. _

_What if… it wasn't his oath?_

"But," her lips curved upwards, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I see your lover dead in your arms. Didn't I tell you ever since you were a little boy? The gods were never the answer. Opposing me will cause hurt to all of your loved ones. Her death is not just the gods' fault, it's yours, just like with your mother. It will always be your fault.

"You made the wrong choice to stand with the gods. Now there's no turning back."

For once, Leo had nothing. No witty comments, no snappy comebacks. Nothing. Gaia chuckled one last time, knowing her work was done, before dissolving into the earth. Leo felt sick.

_It all made sense now._

_And Cal was dead in his arms. His sunshine._

Leo reached out and unclasped the necklace from Calypso's neck.

_The gods and their empty promises. Gaia and her damn oath. Both resulted in the same, devastating loss._

No matter how much they tried to sugar-coat their lies, the gods were the same as Gaia, if not worse. They were the ones who had placed that oath on Cal. They were the reason his sunshine was gone.

He clenched the necklace tightly in his fist.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. They're going to pay. The gods will pay."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is my first story, and I'm getting really positive reviews! Thanks so much Apollo-child Ayla and RandomFanAuthor :)**

**Chapter 2**

_(1277 words)_

Festus circled Camp Half Blood before they landed.

Nico quickly started giving out queue numbers for Slapping Leo Session 1.

"Aye Leo, good to see you back! We got your scroll! Where's Calypso though?" Percy's face was lit up with the excitement of being able to see his old friend again. His smile faded once he noticed Leo's silence.

"Oh gods… no…"

"She's gone." Leo confirmed. "The gods told us her that the curse wasn't lifted, and then they... she..." Leo choked up. He willed himself not to cry. Nico stopped giving out numbers and the campers silently handed the slips back.

"Oh my gods… Leo… I'm so sorry…" Annabeth's expression was sorrowful.

The line disassembled. Everyone had gathered around them, and each one of them offered Leo their condolences.

News travelled fast, and soon enough everyone knew that Leo had lost his loved one. Hazel received an Iris message from Annabeth about this tragedy, and travelled from Camp Jupiter to give him solace, bringing messages from Reyna and Frank as well.

They all gave him his space, and the crowd soon thinned out until only his close friends remained to comfort him. Before long, night fell.

Leo, after heading back to his cabin with his cabin mates, fell into a fitful sleep, too exhausted from the day's events to mourn any more that day.

~.~

_Leo was back in the forest, near Calypso's makeshift grave. There were footfalls approaching him, and he turned. _

_It was her._

"_Cal?"_

_She stared at him. The light was gone from her eyes. _

_Coldly, she said, "It's your fault that I died. You chose the wrong side, and look what you've done. It's killed me."_

"_No! I'm sorry! I-" Leo reached towards her, but she morphed, her skin darkening, her face maturing. _

"_Mijo… how could you hurt someone else again..." Leo's mother's expression was one of disappointment._

"_Mama…" Leo lunged desperately for his mother, but again she morphed, this time into Gaia. She smiled._

"_You made the wrong choice to stand with the gods. Now there's no turning back."_

"_No!"_

Leo woke up in cold sweat. He didn't even notice until a few seconds later that his entire body had been trembling, shaking like a leaf. Trying to calm his wildly palpitating heart, Leo took deep breaths. His skull felt like it was about to split open.

Eventually, Leo managed to shake off the dream, repeatedly telling himself, "It's just a dream. Just a dream." He pushed the contents of the awful dream far, far away from his mind.

~.~

It was only when Leo had done this that he realised that his fellow cabinmate, Jake, had been calling his name for a while now.

"Hey, Leo! Are you okay? You seem out of it. I heard about… What happened to you, and I'm so, so sorry about that. If you ever need any help, I'll be here, okay?" Jake said.

"I don't need any help."

Leo left Jake inside the cabin, slamming the door shut. Outside, he breathed in the cool fresh air, soaking in the still-dim sun rays.

~.~

Leo continued to behave like this for the following week, saying things with a barely hidden jab, acting standoffish, glaring at everyone and generally being grumpy and mean.

To Leo's frustration, no one spoke up about it, all of them wordlessly agreeing to let him off the hook because of the incident.

He stewed even more, and instead of being able to release all the tension and anger with a good ol' fight or argument (no one wants to pick a fight with someone who'd been through a bad time), the bad feelings were kept bottled in, boiling and growing.

Sometimes he would sneak into a deserted part of the forest with spare clothes and burst into flames from all the pent up rage, before the tree naiads complain and he shut off the flames. When he finished this almost-daily activity, he felt empty and drained of all feeling, until depression took over and he avoided everyone.

Leo knew all his friends were worried about him. It wasn't just the fact that all of them were always inviting him out to do _something, _from having a picnic to playing a sport.

It was also from the concerned glances they all kept on shooting him, the offers of lending a shoulder to cry on or an ear.

"Hey, Repair Boy! Wanna go play some basketball?" Percy asked as he jogged up to him.

Speak of the devils and one of them shall appear. Leo cursed his bad luck and heaved a sigh.

"I'll pass, Jackson. Can't be bothered to play with you." Leo dismissed him coldly before rising from where he'd been sitting on one of the benches.

He walked away, blowing off Percy's call of "Next time!".

Later, as he was taking a walk around the camp, avoiding anyone who tried to talk to him, he stumbled across the basketball court.

Forgetting that Percy was probably in there, he entered the court, wanting to be alone and hoping that it will be empty.

Alas, Percy and Jason were occupying the court, taking turns to shoot and defend. They heard his footsteps and turned around to see Leo storming out.

~.~

"Bro… Leo's been kinda moody lately." Jason remarked, passing the ball to Percy.

"No shit, Grace." Percy shot, and the ball fell straight through the hoop. Jason caught it. "He probably just needs his time and space for now. I'd be pretty dam mad if Wise Girl was killed by the gods."

"Yeah man, I know… It's just that he's my best friend. And well… I've never seen him like this. He's not even making stupid jokes any more. Leo… isn't Leo without the stupid." Jason's eyebrows were creased.

"It offsets me. And makes me really really uneasy." He dribbled before throwing the ball, but it bounced off the rim. "Gah. I can't even shoot properly now."

Percy frowned, sympathetic to Jason's plight. He stayed silent for a while. When he shot the ball in the direction of the hoop, the ball ricocheted off the backboard and into Jason's waiting hands. Percy let out a sigh.

"This is starting to affect my game too. You wanna stop?" Percy asked, and Jason hummed. They sat down against the wall.

"I can't understand what you're going through right now, but I'm gonna try to tell you what I see. Leo… It doesn't feel like his personality is ever going to revert back to his bubbly self."

"In fact, I feel like he's never going to go back to being Leo again. That this is just the new Leo, the bitter and grumpy one. Everyone else is so hell-bent on trying to get him to become himself again, but I think Calypso's death… It might have ruined him. Forever. It was like Nico's case - once Bianca left… BOOM… that happy energetic kid who loved Mythomagic died… It took him a year before he opened up again… but he was never the same as before." Percy finally spoke up, his expression dead serious.

Jason soaked in Percy's words. He didn't like it, but… "Maybe you're right. Maybe Leo is going to be like this forever. But that doesn't mean we can't try to get him to see the brighter side, right? After all, we've all lived with sacrifices and dark things. We can just be supportive."

Frowning, Percy got up, dusted himself off, and said he was going to see Annabeth. Jason waved goodbye, staring at Percy's figure until he was too small to be seen, lost in his own thoughts


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **I'm back! I don't think I wrote with the 5 stages of grief, and I wrote it with multiple friends, so... I can't really change it. Also, this story's on multiple places that my friends also sent it to, so... too late...?

Anyway, chapter 3! And mandatory disclaimer: Don't own no nothing. Except my account, of course.

**Chapter 3**

_(1093 words)_

_Leo was in the forest where Calypso was buried. Again._

_But this time he didn't see her at all. This time, a man he didn't recognise was awaiting him._

"_Who are you?" As Leo went closer, he realised that it was not a man exactly, but rather a faint shimmering image. Tall and imposing, he had a beard styled like a spear blade. He was in white silky robes, and his cold eyes were scanning Leo._

"_Leonidas Valdez, what a pleasure to meet you. The very boy who destroyed Gaia. Working with the gods didn't work too well for you, did it? I heard about that little incident with your lover." At this, the stranger smiled. "I saw her in the Underworld. I'm a judge for the dead, after all. I'm King Minos of Crete, Son of Zeus. I have come to recruit you in my plan to resurrect me and defeat the gods, once and for all."_

_Leo racked his brains. King Minos. That evil tyrant?_

"_Oh, I know what you're thinking. Let me show you something." Minos produced a sphere, much like Archimedes', and it projected an image. It was blurry, but as it focused, he could see his friends, laughing and enjoying their time together. _

"_Do you think they care? They stand with the gods, and look what the gods did to you, after all you did for them. The gods have no mercy. They are your enemies. But me? I am no enemy. You'll benefit by joining me. I have many loyal subjects as well as an army of willing monsters and the dead. If you join me, I will make you a lord. I will help you to utilise your strength to the maximum. You will be powerful beyond imagination. But most importantly, you will get your revenge."_

_Minos paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "I do hope you will consider my offer. This is your chance to avenge your lover's death. If you do intend to join me, be in the woods behind Camp Half-Blood by dawn the day after tomorrow."_

With that, the dream faded away.

~.~

Leo had always believed that to stand with the gods was right. After all, he'd all but had that information burned into his brain for his entire stay in camp. It was difficult to choose to go against them. But he kept remembering what the gods did to Cal. He was stuck in a dilemma.

Finally, a few hours before dawn arrived the day after the next, he made his final decision.

He reached under his pillow, and took out Cal's necklace. He'd kept it there as a reminder to never give up, but since he _was_ ditching camp… Leo unclasped the necklace and slung it around his neck, before clasping it again. The weight of the necklace against his chest was foreign, but it felt _right._

Leo slipped out of bed quietly, making sure not to wake any of his siblings up. He crept out of camp, the way he'd done for so many of the foster homes he used to live in, and ran.

~.~

Leo was waiting around in the woods for Minos. It was five minutes before dawn. Suddenly, he heard some rustling.

Was Minos early? But he was a ghost. There wouldn't be any noise. Why would anyone be in the woods at this time? Unless they were here to do a secret deal with another super powerful ghost, of course (though unlikely, not impossible).

He saw a hulking figure, and as it approached, he recognised the baby face.

"Leo?" Frank was surprised. "What are you doing here at this time?"

"What are _you _doing _here _now?" Leo asked exasperatedly.

Frank beamed. "I came to check in on you all. Reyna's covering for me. Thought I might pay you guys a surprise visit. What are you doing?"

"I..."

"He's coming with me." The shimmering image of Minos appeared. Dawn had sneakily arrived while they had been conversing.

Frank looked at Leo, then back at the ghost. "Who's this dude? He doesn't look like a good guy. What are you doing with him?"

"Fool. He's come to join me in my scheme to overthrow the gods."

"Leo?" There was uncertainty in Frank's eyes. Even though their conversation had been brief, Frank must have noticed something off about Leo.

Leo stared at him coldly. "He's right."

"But…" Realisation dawned on Frank. "No… Leo… This isn't right. You don't want to do this."

"I do. The gods are ungrateful and selfish and they hurt me even though I helped them to win a huge war. I'm sick and tired of helping and worshipping them. So, I'm going to help destroy them. And no one will get in my way."

"No! No… you can't do this… the gods are our family! They make mistakes, but we can't just betray them like that! You can't do this. I… I'll fight you!" Frank tried to shapeshift but was unable to in his panicked state. He whipped out his bow instead.

"I didn't want to do this, Frank. But…" Leo fired up one of his hands and walked towards Frank, grim determination coursing through him. He flung a fireball at Frank's bow, and it lit up.

While Frank was distracted with the fire, Leo darted forward and quickly plucked the fireproof bag he had made for Frank so long ago out of Frank's jacket. He loosened the string, and pulled Frank's lifeline out. Frank only realised what Leo was doing when it was too late.

"Leo…" Frank shook his head, still horrified. "No…"

Leo held the lifeline to his lit up hand, all the while staring directly into Frank's eyes.

Immediately, Frank felt like the Fates' cold hands were wrapping around his throat. His oxygen supply was cut off, and he could feel his life force draining out of him, flowing away from his soul like a steady stream of water. He started choking, grabbing at the hands around his throat, to no avail. His hands uselessly grasped at air, unable to stop the choking sensation.

All the while, Leo looked on coldly, while Minos merely seemed amused by Frank's demise. Only half the stick was left.

"Leo… it's… not too late… turn back…" The stick was down to a quarter of its original length, and Frank was so weak that he'd collapsed onto his knees, straining desperately to persuade Leo. His face was pale and dripping with perspiration.

"I'm sorry, Frank. But no one's going to get in my way."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm late, I apologise. Whoops. Anyway, new chapter!

**Chapter 4**

(_1450 words)_

A horrified scream interrupted the game of Capture the Flag that morning.

The campers ran in the direction of the sound, and they found Lou Ellen crouched over Frank Zhang's body in the forest. Will Solace, one of the first to reach them, knelt down to survey him. He found no heartbeat. "He's… no longer alive."

At that moment, Percy, Jason and Annabeth all sprinted over and pushed through the crowd. They saw Frank sprawled on the ground, and the pile of ashes next to him.

"Oh my gods… his lifeline stick…" Annabeth very quickly pieced two and two together.

"But who? How? Why?" Percy asked, unable to look away from his half-brother.

Annabeth froze as a thought strikes her. "Wait… Where's Leo? I didn't see him at all this morning…"

"Well I had a couple of visions." The oracle of the camp had arrived. Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

"And…" She hadn't finished speaking when her eyes turned a glowing green, and her mouth issued smoke before she started speaking again, her voice sounding like it was layered thrice.

"_The flamethrower turns on the gods for love,_

_He joins the next big enemy - the self-proclaimed ghost king._

_By the end of the war, the seven will be down to two,_

_And two sons of the eldest gods will defeat the enemy once and for all." _

Rachel's eyes returned to their normal emerald, and she collapsed.

"Dude, was that a prophecy? It didn't even rhyme." Percy commented.

"It didn't? Well shit. I'm trash at poetry. I haven't managed to pass Lit in school yet." Rachel managed to get back up on her feet. "Still working on it. Maybe I'll manage to once I get better at spewing prophecies that actually rhyme."

"I think we all know what the first line means." Annabeth brought the conversation back on topic. "Anyway, Leo joins the 'self proclaimed ghost king'-"

"Minos." Nico announced, stepping out of the shadows. Nico liked to stay low-key unless he has something important to say. Whispering among the campers commenced.

"Minos? That touch-stuff-and-turn-it-into-gold dude?"

"No, you idiot. That's King Midas."

"King Minos is a judge of the dead, son of Zeus. He used to rule Crete. Percy, Rachel, Nico and I had a run-in with him. Not pleasant." Annabeth explained.

"'The seven will be down to two.'" Percy repeated, catching Annabeth and Jason's eyes before looking at his feet. "This probably refers to the seven in the previous great prophecy."

"'And a son of the eldest gods will defeat the traitor and destroy the gods' enemy.' It's you and me bro." Jason said.

"Or me." Nico stated dryly. Jason opened his mouth to apologise, but was waved off by Nico, who didn't have any hard feelings.

"Well, if there's a war coming, we better get prepared. We need to stock up on supplies, and need to be ready as well. We're going to need to train harder than ever."

~.~

Jason Iris-messaged Reyna to update her. "Please… Help us take care of Hazel when she finds out about Frank. Make sure she's never alone."

"So… I have bad news and kind of good news but also not at all." Reyna awkwardly sat down next to Hazel the following morning, not wanting to meet her eyes. "You've been promoted to praetor."

Hazel was surprised by the sudden words. "But what about Fr-" Her eyes widened. "Oh my gods. Please don't tell me that was the bad news."

Reyna's expression was sorrowful.

Hazel felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. "No… he can't be gone… he's not dead..." she whispered, feeling sick to the stomach.

"I'm so sorry, Hazel."

~.~

Nico stabbed at a straw dummy with his Stygian iron sword before proceeding to behead it. Over the course of a day, the entire mood had drastically changed in camp. The laid-back vibe everyone had been sporting had been replaced with a grim one. Everyone was busy training and preparing for war.

All of a sudden, he remembered that Hazel would probably be deeply affected upon receiving the news on Frank's death. Guilty for not thinking about checking on her sooner, he decided to take a break from training and go to the fountain in camp.

The sunlight reflected off the droplets produced by the constant spray of water, creating a partial rainbow. Nico tossed a golden drachma in. "O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Hazel Levesque."

The mist shimmered, and Nico saw his sister on her bed, hugging her knees and crying.

"Oh my gods… Hazel…" Her head jerked up. "Neeks. I…"

"I'm so sorry for not checking on you sooner. Are you okay? Well I mean obviously not." _Ugh, Nico di Angelo. Curse you and your social awkwardness. _"Hazel... do… do you wanna talk?"

Hazel's eyes were puffy. "It was… so sudden. Reyna told me everything. I can't believe Leo would…" She took a shuddery breath. "And Frank is gone. I'll never see him again. What's even the point of trying to… to…" Another shuddery breath.

Nico was scared. He had never experienced this before. "No, Hazel. We all need you with us. Camp Jupiter needs you as their praetor, and I need you. You're the only sister I have. Please… I love you." Nico was on the verge of crying as well. "If you want help, I'll be there for you, Hazel. Whatever you need. I'll help you, okay? I promise. I am here for you."

Hazel nodded uncertainly, and told Nico she had 'praetor stuff' to do. "I… I'll be okay. I think. Thank you, Nico." She cut the call abruptly, leaving Nico still uneasy.

~.~

Nico was back in the woods, at Frank's grave. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a twelve pack Coke he had gotten earlier that day. He popped one open and poured it into the grave.

"Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember."

After pouring all the other cans in, he took the Macdonald's Happy Meals out of their paper bags, and shook the contents of each bag into the grave. He began chanting in Ancient Greek.

The grave started to bubble. Frothy brown liquid rose to the top like the whole thing was filling with soda. The temperature dropped and the forest went silent. Several blurry blue human figures began to appear.

"Stop." Nico commanded. "Only Calypso and Frank Zhang may drink."

Almost at once, all the figures disappeared. Instead, a pale man clad in black robes stood above the grave.

"Dad?"

"Kid! What're you doing?"

"I… I wanted to try to summon Calypso and Frank. To see if they could help us with-"

"You can't summon those who might tell you more information on Great Prophecies." Hades told him. "The Fates do not allow that. You won't be able to summon them no matter how hard you try."

Nico groaned in frustration, but he understood the rules of summoning, and knew he couldn't do anything else. He nodded. Hades, satisfied with Nico's response, melted into a puddle of black shadows that dispersed.

~.~

It was midnight when Hazel awakened from yet another nightmare and bolted upright in her bunker in Camp Jupiter. The scenes from her dream flashed before her eyes.

Minos, manipulating Leo by using his love for Calypso. Leo, whom she had treated like a brother, corrupted and unstoppable, surrounded by his own flames. The sight of Frank, dead on the ground.

She was never going to see her Frank again.

And Leo… he had always been the one that had cheered others up when they were going through hard times… cracking stupid jokes that were annoying, but honestly had helped her feel better. But that Leo was dead, replaced with someone else entirely… He wasn't the same, and never would be. She couldn't even help the person who had always helped her. And then Frank… She couldn't even help her two friends…

She had caused not one, but two deaths.

The grief overwhelmed the daughter of Pluto. Her legs gave away, and she was on the ground, sobbing her heart out. If Frank wasn't here anymore, was her life even worth living?

Slowly, Hazel unsheathed her sword. She had been contemplating ending her depression for a while since Frank died, and this was the final straw. She didn't feel right taking over the position of praetor after Frank died, and she didn't want to live in a world without Frank, her pillar of support and her everything. There was no world without him.

"I… I'm sorry, Nico."

With shaking hands, Hazel plunged the blade directly into her heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Bet you thought I was dead, eh? Just kidding. I do apologise though. Longer chapter!**

**Chapter 5**

_(2149 words)_

Nico's eyes flew open. Hazel was gone. He could feel it.

Why did those he loved always have to go? First Bianca, then Hazel. Subconsciously, he thought of Will, then shook his head.

Nico's thoughts went back to Hazel. His purple ore older sister who had been nothing but kind and loving to him. Gone. His throat was constricted, and for the first time in years since he learnt Bianca was dead, he cried.

_Creak._

The door of his cabin was pushed open, and Will peeked in. Nico narrowed his swollen eyes.

"What the _Hades_ are you doing here at twelve midnight, William Solace?"

"Why the Hades are you crying at twelve midnight, Nico di Angelo?"

"I asked first!"

Will shoved his hands into his pyjama pockets."I couldn't sleep. And may or may not have decided to check on you while I was walking around camp trying to get some fresh air."

Nico was glad it was dark enough to cover the redness in his cheeks.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Will stepped in and Nico shifted over as Will sat beside him, crossing his legs.

Nico looked at his feet, took a deep breath, and then said, "Hazel is gone. She took her own life. I can feel it." Nico told Will about Leo joining Minos.

Will was surprised that Nico was talking unprompted, but gently wrapped his arms around Nico's shoulders in a show of sympathy and comfort. Nico slumped against Will, weary.

"I'm so sorry, Neeks," Will murmured. He didn't know what he was expecting Nico to tell him, but it definitely wasn't this.

Will had met Hazel after she got injured and he helped to tend to her injuries, and she had seemed like the purest kind of human that you could find. To think that she would take her own life… "I know you love Hazel. She was your sister."

Nico felt like he was ten again, relearning that Bianca sacrificed her life to save her friends. "I feel... like I've failed her. I wasn't there for Hazel, just like I wasn't for Bianca. I didn't learn from past experiences. I wasn't enough and it's partially my fault that she took her life. I'm not good enough," Nico mumbled.

"Hey." Will ran his fingers through the raven hair. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did your best. You did everything you could. You tried. It's really not your fault. You can't control what anyone does, no matter how hard you try. Please don't blame yourself, Neeks."

Rubbing circles into Nico's back, he continued, "If Leo's joining Minos, and they're going to get a powerful army to invade camp, then camp needs you to fight. That means you need your energy. Now get some sleep, okay? You need it. _Doctor's orders."_

Nico smiled against Will's shirt. He lay down, and Will started singing a Greek hymn to get him to sleep. The charmspeak-like magic in Will's voice worked, and soon Nico was asleep, his entire body relaxing. Will took a (long) last look at his significant other, then rose slowly. Making sure not to disturb Nico, Will slipped out of the cabin.

It was yet another battle - another day of a life of a demigod. The only difference now was that the enemy was their friend, and Will knew that this time, the losses would be even greater than before.

~.~

Leo was in Minos' lair, watching as Minos muttered to himself, floating about back and forth. Minos' lair was a large and spacious cave hidden underground. It was surprisingly near camp.

"You said you were going to help me to become more powerful, sir. How are we going to do that?"

"I know exactly where to take you. Come with me." Minos held Leo by the wrist, and they slipped into the shadows.

~.~

"You have to prepare yourself, as jumping in will burn your mind and soul."

The River Styx. Where Percy had been so long ago.

Leo caught sight of some objects in the river, and on closer observation, realised that they were all broken. All ruined dreams that people had tossed away as they passed from life into death.

Minos continued, "There is one way to stay attached to your mortal life. Concentrate on your mortal point. It keeps your body anchored to the world. Good luck."

"I warned the others not to follow my path, and now I will warn you." Leo turned around to see a green-eyed Greek Warrior. He looked like a god, except for his human eyes, and there was an arrow piercing his calf above his ankle.

Achilles. The greatest Greek warrior of all time.

"Do not do this. It will make you powerful but also weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses will increase as well."

"But it made you almost invincible. Your only weakness was your heel and if it was better protected…"

Achilles stared at the arrow. "The heel is only my physical weakness. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. My own arrogance killed me. Beware! Turn back!"

Leo shook his head. "I have to do this. To avenge her. Cal."

The warrior bowed his head. "The things love makes you do. Well, let the gods witness I tried. Prepare yourself, demigod. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom."

He vanished.

Leo concentrated on his left ear. It was the first place Calypso's hands had touched when she had grabbed his face so long ago. He pictured it being connected to the world by a piece of rope.

He walked into the river.

As soon as his legs touched the water, they collapsed under him, and he became fully submerged in the water. His body felt like it was burning away his skin, dissolving him. He saw the faces his mother, aunt, and all the mean kids at the foster homes who had bullied him into running away.

"You failed to save me." Esperanza said, her face full of heartbreak and disappointment.

"Diablo!" His aunt called.

"What a loser. No one likes you." His childhood bullies sneered.

The faces faded as soon as they appeared, and Leo felt like he was slowly losing himself. Heck, he didn't even remember who he was, why he was here. Where was he? Maybe he should just let go and give up on it all.

"Remember your lifeline, you idiot. C'mon, Mr McShizzle."

Her voice.

The cord strengthened, and Leo wasn't being swept by the current of the river any more. Instead, he was being tied firmly to the bank of the river.

Leo could see Calypso standing on the bank, reaching out her hand to pull him back up. Her caramel hair was in a high ponytail. She was in her red shirt and jeans. She looked really good in those.

Red. His favourite colour.

The memories came back in a burst.

_I am Leo Valdez. I'm in the River Styx. I'm here to help Minos overthrow the gods because of the injustice they've done to me._

He reached out to Calypso.

She disappeared, and Leo threw himself onto the bank. But it was too late. She was gone.

And suddenly Leo collapsed onto the bank of the Styx. His entire body was a bright red, and he felt like he'd been boiling in a giant vat of acid.

"You've done it. You're a lot stronger now, and now you are fit to lead my army."

~.~

"Your Majesty… May I ask a favour of you, sir?" Leo asked Minos one day.

"Anything for my most powerful soldier."

"My lord, my request is that you try to revive my lover. Being a judge of the dead, you might have certain powers… Please, sir. Could you try and bring Cal back?"

Minos frowned, then sighed. "I'll try my best."

This made Leo ridiculously happy. There was hope. He might be able to see his sunshine again. "Thank you so much, sir."

~.~

"Calypso, I summon you. Let the dead rise again. Let them take this offering. Let them remember."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Minos was blinded by a flash of light, before the Fates themselves materialised before him.

"King Minos - even as a judge of the dead, you cannot summon her ghost. Those who are meant to be dead in the great prophecy, stay dead."

And as quickly as they appeared, they vanished.

~.~

Leo ducked and punched another monster in the face before strangling and shish-kebabing it.

To train them for the war, Minos had gotten his soldiers to fight one another. It didn't matter if the monsters or the dead got killed (again); Monsters and ghosts could always regenerate with Minos' powers as the judge of the dead - it just drained Minos.

Ever since he bathed in the Styx, Leo noticed that he had changed. Arrows flew past him miraculously, spears broke upon hitting his skin, and if the opponent ever got close enough to stab him (which was rarely), the sword simply broke off.

It was as if he had shed an exoskeleton and got a newer, better, stronger one.

They were going to take Camp Half-blood by storm tomorrow morning. Everyone was ready, in terms of strength, skills and resources.

There was only one problem. He still didn't have a weapon.

He had tried all the swords in the armory. None of them were good enough for him - they were either too light or too heavy, too short or too long.

And whenever he held a sword and swung it, he didn't feel any connection to it, like the feeling that the sword was going to be a trusty, reliable sidekick, able to cooperate with his every thought.

_Maybe Minos has a weapon for me... More like he'd __**better**_ _have one..._

After Leo had requested for a weapon, Minos' eyes gleamed.

His right hand started glowing and when the glow faded, there was a magnificent platinum sword in his hand. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen at Camp Half Blood.

The hilt was a simple black, with silver stripes criss-crossing across it to make an elegant pattern. The sword itself was quite long, outlined in a dark blue.

"This sword is made such that it helps you to harness your power - though metal, it's as flammable as paper, meaning that fire spreads throughout the metal and burns inside and outside it. It's like you, able to withstand the highest possible temperature. It also helps to expand your flames. Try it."

Minos tossed the sword to Leo and he caught the handle with one hand. Immediately, a warmth spread through Leo's hand. He felt like he was being reunited with Calypso again - finding a long-lost soulmate. He swung it a few times. Not too heavy, not too light. Perfect.

He concentrated and his hand lit up. Sure enough, the fire surged upwards, continuing until the whole blade was enveloped in flames. Leo eyed the tree and struck it.

The blade swung through it like Play-dough, and while doing so, the flames spread to the tree. In less than a minute, the entire tree was burned to ashes.

Leo flipped the blade over and over in awe. He had stopped building ever since Cal left - it reminded him too much of her; Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair. He wanted to mainly focus on fighting, getting stronger and gaining power to destroy the gods.

But looking at the blade made him giddy with excitement and his right ear subconsciously lit up. Even with all his building prowess, he had never seen or heard about anything like it.

"What's it made of?"

"It's made of a special mineral taken from the gut of a drakon - the material that gives the drakon the ability to generate flames. The mineral is mixed with metal stolen from the wheels of the sun chariot itself to make the blade's metal - after all, the wheels can endure the high heat of the sun without melting. The blade is then forged in Tarturus' river of fire. It took months to forge." Minos bragged proudly.

Leo nodded and gazed at the sword. Written in a cursive gold font along the sword was the sword's name.

_Ekdikitís_. Avenger. Even the name was perfect.

Leo remembered the first time he had asked for a sword - the same day he had first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Will Solace had looked at him as if he found the idea disturbing; probably didn't trust him with one. But now, with that sword in his hand, he felt invincible and more powerful than ever.

Grinning, he swung the sword one more time, before setting it down gently.

He yawned.

"I'm going to turn in now. After all, tomorrow's the big day, isn't it?"


	6. Chapter 6

**I haven't died! Incredible!**

**Chapter 6**

_(2966 words)_

Percy yawned. Annabeth had called a quick meeting with the head Counsellors of camp on short notice to discuss battle plans.

He focused his gaze on Annabeth. She was hunching over her laptop, stoic expression showing no weakness.

"Alright, Clarisse, take the Ares cabin to the north of the island. Fight the enemy as best as you can. Take the chariots. The Athena cabin will help to fend off the enemy with you. We need the best fighters out there, since the bulk of the army should be there."

Clarisse La Rue didn't argue, despite the Ares and Athena cabins not exactly being the best of friends. She just nodded her head seriously.

"Travis and Conner, I want you to take the Hermes cabin to fight the army of undead along with the remaining Amazons in the south of the island. Don't harass any of the Amazons, they'll probably kill you for doing so. I don't care what you do to the army of undead, steal their weapons, trip their feet, just prevent them from getting to camp."

"Oh my gods, did you hear that? I never thought that a day would come when she said those words," Conner Stoll fake gasped.

"Did she knock her head? Oh no, poor dear, I hope she didn't do that while she was too busy making out with Jackson here. They would be interrupted mid-kiss," Travis Stoll snickered and made smoochy noises. Travis had snuck out of college to assist Camp Half-Blood in fighting this war.

Percy rolled his eyes. Everyone else smirked.

Annabeth just ignored them and continued.

"Lou, you and your siblings are going to follow them and use all the tricks you have to disorientate the enemies whenever they go too close to anyone. Make sure to stand away from the fight, okay?"

Lou grinned and nodded.

"Austin, go with the other Apollo kids to the west of the island. Defend the west with the half of the Hunters there. Shoot them down."

"Roger that," Austin replied.

"The Hephaestus Cabin and the Hypnos Cabin have successfully created arrows that harness the water from the river Lethe and explode upon impact. Use them wisely. Er, try not to wipe your own memories and the Hunters' while you're at it."

Annabeth gestured to the ground beside her, where ten quivers of said arrows were laid on the ground. Austin took them carefully, knowing full well the dangers of the arrows.

"Hey! No fair! Why don't we get any of those?" The Stoll brothers complained.

"She just doesn't trust you with it." Austin replied unsympathetically.

The Stolls folded their arms. Annabeth ignored them again and continued.

"Healers who aren't fighting and those who are injured or too young to fight can report to Camp Jupiter. Will, you're in charge of bringing them safely to camp." Will nodded. "If you get badly injured during battle, take one of the storm spirit horses to Camp Jupiter."

"Okay, that's all, any questions?"

Clarisse raised her hand.

"How about the east of the island?"

"That part is already guarded by some Roman demigods and Reyna from camp Jupiter. If we want to win this war, just like the previous Great Prophecy, both Roman and Greek demigods need to work together."

"Who's gonna defend camp? I mean like, closer to the camp. We can't just put all we have into one line of defence," Will questioned.

"The prophesied seven, half of the Hunters, and the Aphrodite and Demeter cabin will defend camp. If the enemy makes it past the first layer of defence, the traps in the woods made by the Hephaestus Cabin will slow them down."

The Stoll brothers raised their hands.

Annabeth sighed. "I know what you guys are thinking. No, the Hephaestus Cabin is not going to give you any traps to play with. We need all the resources we can get."

Travis and Conner slumped in their seats.

Then they sat up, eyes glinting, as if they simultaneously thought of an idea.

"No, no stealing." Annabeth glared at them.

The Stoll Brothers groaned in unison.

Clarisse looked doubtful. "Are you sure the camp is well guarded? I'm being frank here, I don't think the Aphrodite cabin can fight."

Annabeth opened her mouth to answer but Piper replied first.

"Ever since I became head counsellor, the cabin has changed. You guys aren't the only ones who have been fighting, we have been training hard too. We have all decided that if we are going to die, we don't want to die watching others fight, we want to die fighting along everyone else. This is our camp too, and we want to defend it the best we can."

Percy knew that Piper didn't need to use her charmspeak to get others to understand her fierce determination. From the looks of it, everyone seemed convinced from just listening to her words. Annabeth seemed satisfied with her answer.

"It's going to be dangerous though, are you guys up for it?" Percy smiled.

"I'm a dangerous girl." Piper smirked.

Jake Mason asked, "How about us? We can fight too!" Jake had been hastily promoted to head counsellor when Leo left.

"No, we need you guys to forge and fix whatever weapons and armour that are broken during battle. Worse comes to worst, you guys will be backup."

Annabeth paused, waiting for any other questions.

Silence.

But it was obvious that everyone had the same question, or rather, a certain person in mind.

All their faces were grim. Even Travis and Conner has stopped pranking and joking around. Finally, Jake spoke up.

"How about...you know… Leo?" He said the last word with great difficulty.

Annabeth turned to the sons of the Big Three. "That's the reason why I called Percy, Jason and Nico to this meeting today. First off I guess we'll try to persuade him to change his mind, and if he doesn't… well…"

Silence hung in the room. No one seemed satisfied with the answer.

Trying to disperse the mood, Percy slammed his hand on the table, making everyone jump.

"Alright! We've fought Kronos and Gaia, and we've won. We can do this again. Let's go… fight stuff!"

~.~

And as Minos' army advanced towards camp from all around them, the warriors defending their home charged.

~.~

At the south side of the island, the Hermes cabin and the Amazons were having wild success with the monsters. There were at least fifty of the maidens, and since the Hermes cabin included those who weren't claimed yet, the south side probably had the most defenders.

Connor and Travis flung banana peels lit with Greek fire in all directions. These made the the approaching undead slip and fall.

And also set them on fire.

"Five points for the tiny scrawny guys! Ten for the big armoured Roman ones!" Conner yelled.

"Game on!" Travis yelled back.

The brothers laughed so hard they started choking on the ash (of the dead) that floated in the air.

The other Hermes children ran around the undead, stealing their weapons, kicking them in the shins and generally causing confusion and mayhem everywhere.

The Amazons sliced through the now bewildered and in pain undead with their knives and stabbed with their spears.

The only sane and proper child of Hermes was probably Chris Rodriguez, who whirled his sword around, taking out a few undead at a time. In a way, he seemed quite like his girlfriend, the head of the Ares cabin.

Meanwhile, Lou Ellen stood a distance away, surrounded by her siblings. All of them shrouded in Mist. Whenever they saw any enemies going a tad bit too close to one of her allies, they used the Mist to create illusions, turning the undead against each other and causing them to fight their own allies.

Pretty soon, the number of monsters was dwindling, and everyone knew they had an easy win. This method of killing was surprisingly efficient.

The remaining undead, sensing that they were outnumbered, retreated, running over their fallen comrades to escape from the fearsome combination of the Hermes cabin children and Amazons. Some guy tripped on a banana peel and fell on his face. And set himself on fire.

"WHOOP!" Connor hollered, and everyone cheered.

They had managed to successfully fend off the army invading from the south side.

~.~

In the west section, the archers of Apollo cabin had distributed all the arrows they had on hand evenly, giving the elite archers the river Lethe arrows. Meanwhile, the healers were making sure that the healing area was prepped and ready for injured fighters.

There were boxes filled with ambrosia stacked up neatly against a wall, the top ones opened. Thermoses and flasks of warm honey water were lined up on the ground. Since the healers would have to sing to heal, their throats and vocal cords would be damaged, and after a few fights, they knew to prepare the water.

When the children of Apollo arrived at the west, they saw the Hunters already fighting the army, raining arrows and twirling their swords like the trained fighters they were.

The Apollo cabin followed suit, aiming and firing arrows upon arrows on the army. This caused a lot of mayhem among the monsters, since their brethren kept on turning to monster dust all around them.

Whenever some of the monsters regrouped and charged in a large group, a couple of Lethe arrows would sail merrily through the air and explode on one of them, causing the liquid to spill on all the nearby monsters.

The Hunters and the Apollo cabin worked surprisingly well together, though that might have been because the maidens had reluctantly promised not to murder their allies 'accidentally'.

After far too many arrows had been used up, the army was but a pile of dust with a bunch of arrows sticking out.

The Apollo cabin cheered loudly, celebrating their victory, while the Hunters glared at them disdainfully.

~.~

After gathering all the injured, young and healers, Will clambered onto Tempest and the others climbed onto other storm spirits and pegasi. With a whinny, the horses took off and soared towards San Francisco.

"This has been going pretty well!" Harley remarked two hours later, enjoying the ride thoroughly.

"Don't jinx-" Will warned.

As soon as the words left Harley's mouth, around forty venti appeared, swirling around them. The Fates were probably laughing at them.

"Ooh, look. So many poor and defenceless children, only a few of whom are able to fight. Minos is going to be pleased." One grinned. The older healers immediately moved so that they surrounded the other children. Will whipped his bow out.

"Leave us alone, or I'll introduce these celestial bronze arrows to your face."

"Not likely, my dear boy. You are clearly outnumbered."

And then the venti attacked.

Will notched several arrows onto his multi-arrow bow and shot, taking out three venti at a time. The other healers did the same, and soon there was one ventus left. The last ventus had somehow avoided being shot and swooped into the circle. It managed to grab Harley. Harley was pummeling it with his little fists but it was to no avail.

"Kill me and I drop this little one." The ventus threatened, Harley squirming in his arms. The archers hesitated.

Making a quick decision, Will gave his trademark piercing ultrasonic whistle, causing everyone to cover their ears. Including the ventus. Which forgot it was holding Harley.

One of the archers shot, and the arrow reached its target, making the last ventus dissolve into yellow dust which was blown away by the wind.

Harley screamed as he plunged downwards, and Will quickly steered Tempest so that he just managed to catch Harley. "We may have been outnumbered, but they were overpowered."

Harley whimpered. "I'm never going to say anything about our good luck again."

An hour later, the group arrived in San Francisco successfully, greeted by a bossy Terminus statue. "EVERYONE COME OVER SO I CAN PAT YOU DOWN!"

~.~

In the east of Long Island, Reyna gave a short briefing (more like a pep talk).

"Alright Romans! The last time we were on this island, we fought Camp Half Blood as enemies. But this time we will defend them as comrades on the battlefield and fight together for the gods! Don't hold back! Whatever happens, we Romans won't back down! We'll fight to the very end!"

"Now, charge! FOR ROME!"

The Roman demigods let out their battle cry and raced down to meet the enemy.

"KOOL-AID!" Dakota yelled. "I MEAN, FIFTH COHORT!"

The romans defended very well. After all, the Romans had built one of the greatest empires of all time with their sheer strength.

They sliced through hellhounds. They pierced emposai with their spears. They smashed and squished Earthborn with their cannons.

Hannibal the Elephant charged and smashed through the enemy lines, stomping on monsters and turning them into street pizza.

The Romans cheered.

Just as they thought they had defeated the enemy coming from the east, another wave of monsters came in.

And leading the charge was the greatest monstrosity they had ever seen.

Her bat-like wings stirred up clouds of darkness. The multiple animal heads on her waist growled menacingly. Her scorpion tail dripped deadly venom.

It was Kampê.

If there was anyone who could break the romans' spirit and confidence, it was her.

The sheer sight of her made them tremble in their armour.

The new wave of monsters charged and fought like, well, _monsters, _with Kampê in the lead.

Realising that the army was arriving, the Romans quickly regained their composure and sprinted to meet the enemy.

The two armies met with the metallic clang of the meeting of sword, shield and claws.

The Roman demigods put up a good fight, but even all of them together didn't hold a candle against Kampê.

She swung her mace, knocking a dozen demigods out with severe head injuries. She pierced others' hearts with her tail, before swiping them off the cliff and into the sea. They never resurfaced.

Reyna had never seen so many Roman demigods die in the same place. Just seeing one of them get murdered and injured like that broke her heart, not to mention the others.

All too soon, their numbers had dwindled to roughly two dozen soldiers.

Just then, Reyna heard a snarling sound behind her. She turned around just in time to cut off a hellhound's head. Kampê was roughly 30 metres away from her, feeding a broken demigod to the boar head on her waist.

She needed to attract her attention. She couldn't let any other demigods die on the monstrosity's hands.

"HEY HAIRY! Pick on someone your own size!" (Actually Reyna was tiny compared to Kampê but she didn't know what else to say. She really needed to work on her catchphrases.)

Kampê snarled, like, _I waxed today!_

She looked up from her meal just in time to see Reyna charging towards her. Growling in annoyance, she tried to swipe her tail at Reyna. Fortunately, Reyna had anticipated the attack and ducked down to dodge it, before thrusting her spear upwards. Kampê's tail became as short as a bunny's.

Kampê howled in pain. She looked at Reyna with an expression that read "_You're gonna die, like right now."_

The demoness shrieked and threw her mace at Reyna with impossible accuracy.

Reyna attempted to jump to the left to dodge the attack, but she was too slow.

The mace hit her sword arm like a bullet, striking her with enough force to send her flying through the air with the mace still on her arm, pinning her against a rock wall.

Reyna could hear the cracking of bones in her arm. No, not cracking. That was mildly put. Her bones were shattered_. _

But she felt nothing but numbness. Her nerves were probably destroyed too. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to move that arm again.

Kampê charged towards her, sword raised.

_Shit._ She had to act fast. Or become a demigod pancake.

Reyna looked around. She had dropped her spear when Kampê had knocked her with the mace. The only weapon close to her was… the mace.

Kampê was twenty metres away. (60 feet)

Reyna grabbed the mace's handle with her left hand and began to tug.

Ten metres. (30 feet)

She struggled and pulled harder.

_Five. _(15 feet)

Reyna felt the mace loosen from the rock.

Kampê raised her sword, about to decapitate Reyna.

She ducked and smashed Kampê in the face with the mace, sending her crashing to the ground fifty yards away.

"Eat dirt!" she yelled, then cringed (she really was bad at these catchphrases).

Reyna grabbed her spear as she ran to meet her opponent. She probably wouldn't be as effective without her sword arm, but hey, she was the praetor of Rome. She couldn't let them down.

"FOR ROME!"

Reyna lifted her spear and charged.

Both women fought like demons, moving so quickly that they were a blur of movements. Reyna realised that Kampê couldn't hurt her anymore, and she could barely injure the demoness. She didn't care about anything else. The battle around her didn't matter. The Daughter of Bellona only focused on taking down the opponent in front of her.

It was only until later on that Reyna realised that a dark red aura surrounded her.

The blessing of Bellona.

Grinning, she dodged another blow from Kampê, and pressed on, using this newfound power to the best of her ability.

The battle was so intense that Reyna didn't see where she was going, only focusing on taking down the monstrosity in front of her.

The next thing she knew was that she was cornered in a cave, Kampê smiling viciously.

Her meaning was clear. _This is the end, there's no escape for you. _

Reyna glanced at the rocks above. They were barely held together, but were like icicles, except made of stone.

"But there's no escape for you either."

The Daughter of Bellona hefted her spear and struck the rock that was keeping the cave together.


	7. Chapter 7

And for redemption sake, here's another chapter, y'all deserve it.

**Chapter 7**

_(2148)_

Outside, the Romans and monsters saw that the cave had collapsed and paused in the fight. They waited with bated breath for someone to resurface, a movement of a rock, or even a whisper, just any sign, any sign that anyone was alive.

No one resurfaced.

Leila fell to her knees.

"No..."

Boom. A stone boulder rolled to the ground.

The devastated Romans looked up.

Reyna weakly climbed out of the rocks, still glowing a dark red. The blessing had saved her.

She thrusted her spear into the air victoriously, and the remaining Romans cheered.

Kampê was dead. But Reyna Ramírez-Arellano had lived to see another day.

~.~

At that moment, the Daughter of Bellona's legs gave way, and she fell forward, crashing towards the ground.

Michael Kahale, who had been near the rocks, caught her just in time before she hit the ground like a sack of rocks.

Their praetor had saved them all, but there were far too many casualties, while the number of monsters multiplied every five minutes. Too many had been injured, and even more who were dead. They were fighting a losing battle.

It wasn't a very romanly thing to do, but Michael knew that it had to be done.

"Retreat!" He hollered, and the romans hastily regrouped before sprinting back to camp, carrying the injured. No one wanted to leave the demigods who had sacrificed their lives behind to the monsters, but they had no choice.

But as far as they were concerned, they hadn't lost. They had gotten rid of one major problem for Camp Half Blood. The battle had only just begun.

~.~

"The bones in your arm are completely crushed. There's no way it can heal so you'll have to get a prosthetic arm," Will told Reyna after examining her.

"There's no way in Tartarus I'm getting a metal arm," Reyna exclaimed indignantly.

"Well you won't be able to fight without one."

An hour later, Reyna took off with Arion, heading back to Camp Half-Blood - with a new metal arm made by the Vulcan children.

~.~

From the north of the island, the Ares and Athena children roared and ran towards the enemy.

The enemy charged, Leo and a shimmering but almost solid Minos leading the pack.

All of them fought like demons (they were the children of the gods of war after all).

Though they were fighting their hardest, whenever they killed a monster, several others replaced it (courtesy of Minos), and it was a full five hours before Clarisse realised that they were fighting a losing battle.

At least they had bought some time for whatever plan Annabeth had cooked up for Percy.

"Troops! Go back to camp! Retreat! I'll do my best to take them! Camp needs you all back there!" she yelled.

The warriors were hesitant.

"Go!" Clarisse shouted again, and they sprinted back towards camp.

She turned back to face the wave of monsters. She knew that she couldn't take them all down by herself.

It didn't matter. She was just following Silena's footsteps. After all, she had died protecting camp, and Clarisse would do the same.

After all, she _was_ a child of war, and she couldn't imagine anything more honourable than having her last moments on the battlefield, fighting for her home.

The monsters advanced, Leo and Minos in the lead.

Clarisse leapt and whirled, swinging her electric spear and turning five monsters into dust with every slice. It was a while before Leo and a bunch of monsters finally managed to surround her because of the sheer number of monsters that were there.

While some of them grabbed her limbs and turned her immobile, despite her desperate struggling, Leo quickly nabbed her spear and threw it onto the ground.

He gazed at her, his face hard and pitiless. "This is what you get for fighting for the gods."

He pierced her armour, and Avenger went all the way through.

Clarisse La Rue fell to the ground.

Leo led the enemy towards the heart of camp as they roared in victory and marched onward.

~.~

Aphrodite cabin were preparing for battle in their own special way; perfume spray bottles filled with liquid Celestial bronze (ineffective for smelling nice but great for monster fighting), hairpins that were made out of Celestial bronze (awesome for a little sparkle in your hair, but even better to throw at monsters), and other goodies, as well as the usual weapons of spears and blades.

The children of Demeter were getting ready by scattering seeds around the ground.

"No, those are dandelion seeds, dumbass! We need seeds that grow into trees so the enemies get trapped in them!"

Meanwhile, the Hunters… well… they just waited, since they were always prepared for fighting.

~.~

Just before the battle started, there was a cry.

"TIME TO CRASH THIS PARTY!" Everyone turned to see the Party Ponies galloping towards them, Chiron in the lead. They all had their paintball guns out, and some of them had shirts with sloppily written slogans on them, like "MINOS SUX", "WE GON WIN DIS WAR" and "I LIKE KETCHUP".

But they weren't the only ones who had arrived.

Grover and Coach Hedge were leading a respectable number of satyrs, and there was Tyson leading a pack of Cyclops.

And at the back of the crowd was Reyna Ramirez-Arellano herself - with a new prosthetic arm - riding in on Arion and ready for battle.

The arrival of these surprise guests gave the demigods renewed hope.

"G-MAN! TYSON!" Percy yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Brother!" Tyson grinned at him.

"Perce!" Grover shouted.

Chiron smiled at Percy. "Perseus. Are we late? They were quite a handful."

"HEY C'MON Y'ALL! WHAT'RE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S GET THIS BREAD!" one of the centaurs screamed.

"YEET!" Grover, Tyson and Chiron yelled in unison (it was their battle cry). Reyna stood at the side and just grinned. (She'll never say "yeet"). The newly arrived troops roared as they charged into war.

The battle began.

No one knew what was in the paint guns, but as soon as the 'paint' made contact with the monsters and the undead they dissolved. Probably Celestial Bronze that had somehow been dyed bright neon colours.

The satyrs were surprisingly good fighters as well. In unison, they played a quick tune on their panpipes, and vines erupted from the ground to wrap around the ankles of the opposing army. They turned every enemy within a ten metre radius into a tree.

All the satyrs, now aided by the Demeter kids, were playing their panpipes and working hard on their miraculous nature magic. Except one.

Coach Hedge screeched and pulled out his baseball bat. It appeared he had gotten an upgrade, as there were bronze spikes sticking out of it. He went around smacking the enemies with his bat like it was a extreme game of whack-a-mole. His arms were a blur. Mellie and baby Chuck would be so proud.

Percy flung a water balloon filled with centaur blood towards Coach Hedge. (He had borrowed it from Travis earlier. How he had that, Percy wasn't sure and he didn't think he wanted to know).

"Hey Coach! Hit them with this!"

Coach turned and swung his baseball bat just in time to strike the balloon with the flat side of his bat. The balloon shot towards the enemy lines like a bullet.

The moment it hit the ground, the balloon exploded, dissolving the 'luckiest' monsters faster than you could say "baseball".

"JACKSON! Give me more of this concoction! This is beautiful!" Coach boomed.

Grover looked terrified. "That's one scary baseball bat."

The Cyclops were probably having the most success of all. With their size, they had a huge advantage; Tyson whacked the army with his "stick" which he had gotten from the gods, while the other Cyclops wielded gold or bronze swords they had made for themselves. They also had their own shields and armour. They could easily take out a quarter of the monsters that had been summoned.

Nico di Angelo rode atop Mrs O' Leary into battle, bursting out from the shadows underneath a tree. He dismounted her and ruffled her fur fondly. "Go on! Plenty of monsters to disembowel for you!"

And then he let Mrs O' Leary go on a rampage.

Well - he tried to, anyway. Mrs O' Leary stayed near him, refusing to run into the thick of the fight. When he waved towards the battle, trying to entice her, she whined.

Giving up, the Ghost King plunged his sword into the ground and hundreds of undead erupted from the fissure he had opened. With a single command, the undead heroes still loyal to camp charged toward the enemy.

Mrs O' Leary growled (one of the few times Nico had seen Mrs O' Leary actually being threatening) and pounced on anyone who came near Nico. Apparently she was staying to protect him, which was… sweet. On the rare occasion that someone - or something - made it past Mrs O' Leary, Nico stabbed them with his sword, which dissolved them into black pools of shadow.

Annabeth was a blur of limbs. Though her only weapon was a knife, which was a disadvantage as compared to those with a sword, she was doing pretty well, whirling around and fending off the nearest monsters. Occasionally, she disappeared with her Yankees cap to confuse enemies, only to reappear behind them and stab them in the back.

"DO A SPLIT! STAB THAT DRACANAE BESIDE YOU! SHOOT THAT HELLHOUND! THOSE SERVING KING MINOS - FALL ASLEEP AND DON'T WAKE UP FOR THE NEXT TEN HOURS!" Piper yelled. The powerful charmspeak in her voice worked, and they obeyed her commands against their will. At her last command, every enemy within thirty feet of her collapsed and started snoring.

And she was doing well with her knife too. She literally glowed with beauty. Piper would smile sweetly and the enemies would stare at her astounding beauty and smile back - until they were decapitated by the swift whirl of Katoptris.

Percy uncapped Riptide and swung it swiftly, jabbing monsters and edging along until he was near the toilets. Muttering a quick apology to the cleaning harpies, he concentrated until the water pipes near the toilet burst.

He willed the water towards some enemies, soaking them with water and blinding them momentarily. With the monsters distracted, it was easy for Percy to run around stabbing them with his sword, a smile on his face.

Jason unsheathed his _gladius. _He pointed it at the sky. C'mon, Dad, Jason prayed, and sure enough, a huge bolt of lightning struck the spear. He redirected the lightning to the undead and monsters around him, and they became a smoking crater.

Suddenly, there was a terrible scream, and Jason turned around to see Coach Hedge right behind him with an arrow sticking out of his armour and into his torso, on his knees. The arrow was half buried. Coach Hedge had saved him from a fatal strike.

"Coach!" He knelt down beside Coach Hedge and carried the satyr, bridal style, with . Jason ran out of the battlefield, weaving through the crowd and avoiding everybody.

"Coach... you're badly hurt..."

Coach Hedge wheezed. "No shit, cupcake. There's literally an arrow sticking out of my stomach." He coughed weakly. "I saved your butt."

"Yes... you saved me. Thank you, Coach." Jason was close to tears, but he blinked them back.

"Hell yea." Coach Hedge punched the air weakly.

Jason yelled for healers. An Apollo kid sprinted over and quickly performed some healing magic. "He's going to be okay, but only for a few hours. Send him to Camp Jupiter, quickly. He needs more medical attention."

Jason whistled, and a pegasus galloped towards them. Jason laid Coach Hedge onto the winged horse. "He's badly injured. Take him to Camp Jupiter." Although he couldn't speak horse like Percy could, the pegasus seemed to understand (Percy probably told them about the plan) and took off with the satyr.

~.~

From the corner of her eye, Piper saw Leo, setting the Aphrodite cabin on fire while her siblings attempted to defend it but to no avail.

_The sons of the eldest gods defeat the traitor._

Piper sliced her way through the throng of monsters. "Jason!" He whipped around, having just electrocuted another herd of monsters.

"Leo's over there. And I was thinking - you might have to be the one who defeats him. Maybe we could try and convince him to stop. We're his best friends. Worse comes to worst," Piper hung her head. "You're going to have to kill him. I know it'll be difficult for you, but… if there's really no way to convince him, it's for the best. It's our duty."

Jason sighed. He really didn't want to hurt Leo. But…

_It's our duty._

"Let's go then," he said dejectedly.


	8. Chapter 8

short chapter forgive my insolence my readers

**Chapter 8**

_(2257 words)_

They made their way through the crowd towards the Aphrodite cabin. Leo had already spotted them from the corner of his eye. Minos was beside him, helping to regenerate monsters, though he was less solid than before. Weaker.

Leo let them advance.

"You'll have to fight them on your own. Prove to me how much you've benefited from my training." Minos said grandly.

Leo almost snorted. He knew this was just an excuse to not fight, since Minos was fragile right now. He only let it slide since Minos _was _his leader, after all.

Minos drifted away, not wanting to risk the chance of getting tangled up in the upcoming fight. Leo cracked his knuckles, the sounds ringing through the air ominously.

"Let's not dither and just end this quickly, alright?" Leo said when Jason and Piper were within earshot and could hear him. Leo saw as they exchanged glances.

The air felt charged with electricity , filled with tension- or maybe that was just Jason?

Either way, tension between him and the duo was as thick as smoke. For the first time, it felt… weird to be the one to initiate the fight. Maybe it was because of the bond that they'd had, which seemed an eon ago.

Piper flashed one of her (albeit nervous) brilliant smiles. "We just want to talk, Leo. We don't want to fight you. Lower your weapon." Jason could feel the effect of her magic washing over him, loosening his grip on his spear.

Leo glared at his old friend. "Your charmspeak can't affect me or my ideals. My ideals are what I have spent my blood, sweat and tears on, and nothing you say is going to change that. Your magic doesn't affect me."

"Come on, Leo," Piper dropped the charmspeak, her smile replaced by a serious expression. If her magic didn't work maybe her sincerity would. (A/N ha ha ha ha ha ha yea no) "We're your friends. Do you really think we wouldn't want the best for you?"

Leo roared. "Shut up! You were never my friends, you never made me feel like I was at home, you both made me feel like a third wheeler, and you weren't there for me when I needed you. So shut your pretty mouth." He flung a fireball at the daughter of Aphrodite like one would with a baseball, and she was knocked off her feet, smoking. She didn't rise.

Leo then charged for Jason. Jason, slightly in shock, was unprepared and only barely saved by his quick reflexes. He blocked a strike. The demigods' weapons blurred and clanged in a shower of sparks - fire versus lighting, platinum versus gold, Leo flinging the occasional fireball at him.

Swiftly, Leo slammed the flat of his blade into the son of Jupiter, and Jason was knocked off-balance. The impact was enough to let Leo tackle him. Pinned under Leo, Jason was powerless. Leo raised the Avenger, and Jason was stabbed straight through the gut.

Again.

The ground came up to meet him as he clutched at his stomach, the blood pouring out and soaking the dirt beneath him.

"You may have healed from that gut wound the last time, but you won't now. If the fire and smoke don't finish you off, the monsters definitely will."

With that, Leo disappeared into the flames, his silhouette swallowed by the fiery orange.

Jason was exhausted from the fight, with Piper out cold next to him. They both had burn wounds all over them. His head was spinning, and his torso had gone numb.

He fought to stay conscious, but it was too much for him. He was already feeling faint and woozy when a brick knocked (hard) against his skull.

He finally closed his eyes, giving in to the pain as his vision went white.


	9. Chapter 9

disclaimer disclaimer; roses are red, violets are blue, i dont own percy jackson, but neither do you :P

**Chapter 9**

_(1619 words)_

"Percy!"

A familiar voice called out to him. After slicing through a monster, Percy turned to face Nico.

"Hey! Need anything?" Percy casually asked. Like they weren't in the middle of a battle or anything. He took down a hellhound that had tried - (very) unsuccessfully - to sneak up behind him while waiting for Nico's answer.

Nico's eyes met his. "I just saw Piper and Jason run into battle, and I'm guessing it was towards Leo. You know, what with the fire and stuff. Maybe they need help."

Percy's expression turned serious, and he nodded. "Lead the way."

~.~

Percy and Nico fought through the crowd to get to Piper and Jason, only to find the two powerful demigods lying lifeless on the floor, their torsos clawed open by monsters, smoking all over.

"They're gone. I can't feel any life coming from them." Nico said. Nico felt a dull pain in his chest. Piper had always been kind to him, and Jason had treated him like a younger brother, someone who had protected him (and his feelings).

Percy kneeled down by Jason. "Oh man..."

Nico had never seen him like this. The mighty son of Poseidon, crying and vulnerable after losing two of his best friends. Nico told him, "I'll try to go and find Leo and convince him to stop, I guess. You can stay here for a bit."

"Wait, are you su-" Percy opened his mouth to protest (talking wasn't something Nico liked to do) as he tried to grab Nico's arm. The only thing he grasped was air.

Nico was already gone.

~.~

Leo stabbed another Hunter with her arrow and flung her forcefully against a tree, knocking her out. The sky was a sea of arrows and smoke, signifying the raging battle that was going on.

Suddenly, he heard a rustle coming from the bottom of the tree. He glared at the shadows.

"I know you're there. You can't hide from me."

The boy in the black aviator jacket stumbled out of the shadows. He heaved in exhaustion, his face paler than usual. He glanced at Leo and the two of them stared at each other in silence.

Nico noticed that Leo's free hand unconsciously cupping his left ear. His left ear was also guarded by this weird looking guard that looked a lot like an earmuff.

_Why?_

His thoughts were interrupted by Leo who spoke first.

"What are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?"

Nico sighed. "I've come to stop you."

Leo smirked and laughed menacingly.

"Jason and Piper didn't stand a chance against me. What do you think you can do? You couldn't even shadowtravel us out of the tavern without Hazel's help that time. You're better off running away, crying to Hazel."

Nico felt like he had been stabbed through his heart at the mention of her. Struggling to maintain his composure, he plainly replied, "Hazel's dead. She killed herself. She couldn't live without Frank."

Leo's smile fell. Even though he knew his old friends were now his enemies, he couldn't imagine that Hazel, _innocent and pure Hazel_, would take her own life.

However, he quickly recovered and laughed instead.

"See? That's what she gets for trusting the gods. She made the wrong choice to fight for them and this is how she is repaid."

Of all the things Leo could have said, Nico certainly wasn't expecting this.

"No! She died because you killed her love! You destroyed her world!"

"No, she died because she thought that by fighting for the gods, the gods could give her happiness. She trusted them. Clearly she was wrong."

Nico felt sick. Leo really had changed. However, he took a deep breath. He was not here to fight; he was here to negotiate, to help Leo, no matter how hopeless it may seem.

So instead, he changed the subject.

"Stop doing this madness Leo! We're your friends, your comrades! It's true that the gods aren't the most trustworthy, but Minos is filled with nothing but lies! I've had firsthand experience of his manipulation! I understand how you feel, but this isn't the way to go. Please. Stop fighting. Come back home."

Nico stretched out on open arm.

Leo glared down at his hand. "What makes you think I would listen to you? The gods **will **pay for killing Cal."

"It's not what Calypso would have wanted!"

Leo froze.

Taking advantage of Leo's shocked state, he continued. "I understand that it hurts to have Cal dead. But look around you, Leo. All this war and bloodshed. Look at the amount of blood of other demigods you have on your hands. Is this what Cal would have wanted? Did Calypso want people to die because of her?"

Leo muttered doubtfully, "What do you know about Calypso? What do you understand about me? If you understand me, then help me bring Calypso back. Resurrect her. You're the son of Hades. Help me. I just want to see her again."

Nico shook his head.

"First of all, I've tried to summon her as a ghost. And failed. I'm not going to be able to resurrect her even if I wanted to. And secondly I won't. It's not going to help you. Believe me, I'm probably the person who understands you the most."

"When my sister, Bianca, died, I hated everything. I blamed the gods for letting her die, I blamed the demigods for not taking care of her. I hated them. I hated everyone. I thought that my world was dead. I thought that I couldn't live without her."

"Minos fed me nothing but lies. He took advantage of my state and manipulated me. Because of that, I nearly turned against all the campers who had taken care of me ever since I came to camp."

"I tried to talk to her, I tried to talk to her ghost. It didn't help, okay? Seeing her just made me feel even more devastated."

Tears streamed down Nico's cheeks as he said all of this and his voice started to break.

"Yes, Bianca is dead, and that was the hardest part for me to accept. But I realised that she wasn't really gone. She still lives in my heart. My memories of her are as fresh as if it were just yesterday. And I melted a Mythomagic figurine of Hades - my last gift from Bianca - and remodeled it into a ring. This way, everywhere I go, in my opinion, Bianca is always with me. She will always be."

"That necklace around your neck…it's Calypso's isn't it? That...that just shows that she isn't truly gone."

One of Leo's hands subconsciously touched the necklace protectively.

"Bianca told me to follow my own path. She wanted me to move on. She didn't want me to become a bitter and angry person because of her."

"You see, Calypso would have wanted the same thing. She wouldn't want you to become someone who only knows of anger and bitterness because of her. It would break her heart."

"Moving on means allowing yourself to continue living everyday of your life with joy, so you can honour their death and sacrifice and and cherish the times they had spent with you. Sometimes...sometimes loving someone means wanting their happiness, not just your own. Cal… she…would have wanted you to move on."

Nico paused as if to think about what he had just said, before continuing.

"Sometimes, you've… you've just gotta let go."

His eyes were brimming with tears. He stretched out his arm again.

"You don't have to do this."

"Come on, Leo. Come back home."

Leo was stunned. He didn't know what to think. This whole time, he was so hell-bent on revenge and avenging Cal that he didn't even think about what she would have wanted. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Nico's words actually made sense. What would Cal want?

He nodded and muttered, "Let go… move on… Cal… she would have wanted that…"

Suddenly, a voice from the back of his head (that sounded remarkably like an echo of Calypso's, and Leo failed to distinguish the familiar rasp that belonged to Minos' voice) whispered.

"Are you sure that's what I would have wanted? I hate the gods. They imprisoned me on that island for not much reason, forced me to fall in love with every hero that came, only for me to watch them sail away every time, get my poor heart broken, over and over again."

"And when I finally met the love of my life, and I had the chance to leave, to fly away with you, to be finally free, they had to separate us. They had to get my heart broken again. I died an unfair death. I hate the gods. They did nothing but cruelly hurt me over and over."

"Avenge me, my hero."

Leo drew his sword. His eyes were ablaze. As sure as ever, he said. "No, Cal would have wanted this. The gods did nothing but hurt her. And nobody is going to get in my way."

~.~

Nico lifted his sword just in time to block a strike from him. Around ten to twenty undead sprouted from the ground, but this only temporarily held Leo back. He slashed his sword in fiery arcs, completely obliterating all of them. The strikes from the undead soldiers bounced off Leo, as if he were… bulletproof.

Nico looked back up at Leo's earmuff thingy. He understood now.

Leo continued pressing his sword down on the Son of Hades. Nico struggled under his strength.

"What I said is true Leo! Stop this! I don't want to fight you!"

Leo snarled. "You don't need to. Once you're fried."

And Leo hurled a fireball directly at him.


End file.
